First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit
Who qualifies for the $10,000 home buyers' amount and how to claim it.
The short version
- The home buyers' amount is $10,000 when you buy a qualifying first home, worth $1,400 off federal tax for 2026.
- You qualify if neither you nor your spouse lived in a home either of you owned in the year of purchase or the four years before. People eligible for the disability tax credit qualify in more cases.
- The home must be in Canada, registered in your name (or your spouse's), and you must plan to live in it within a year.
- Two buyers can split the $10,000, but not claim $10,000 each.
- Pair it with the FHSA and the RRSP Home Buyers' Plan for the full first-home package.
First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit
Buying a first home costs a fortune in closing costs, land transfer tax and lawyers. The federal government gives back $1,400 of it through the home buyers' amount. It's not much against a down payment, but it's one line on the return and people still forget it in the chaos of moving.
Who Qualifies
- First-time buyers: you didn't live in a home that you or your spouse or common-law partner owned in the year you bought, or in any of the four previous years.
- Persons with disabilities: if you're eligible for the disability tax credit, or you buy a home for a related person who is, you don't need to be a first-time buyer, as long as the new home is more accessible or better suited to their needs.
What Counts as a Qualifying Home
A house, semi, townhouse, condo, mobile home, apartment in a multi-unit building, or a share in a co-op that gives you an ownership interest. It must be in Canada and registered in your name or your spouse's, and you must intend to live in it as your principal residence within one year. Building your own home counts too.
How to Claim
On line 31270, in the year you bought (the year the deal closed). Federally it's 14% of $10,000, so $1,400 for 2026. It's non-refundable, so you need enough tax to use it; if you don't, your spouse can claim it instead. Two eligible buyers of the same home can split it any way, as long as the total is no more than $10,000. Some provinces add their own first-time buyer credit or land transfer tax rebate; see provincial taxes.
Buying your first home? See the whole tax package
Tell the assistant the price, your province, your RRSP and FHSA balances and both incomes. It shows the home buyers' amount, FHSA and Home Buyers' Plan options, and any land transfer tax rebate.
The Full First-Home Package
| Program | What it does |
|---|---|
| Home buyers' amount | $1,400 off federal tax in the year of purchase |
| FHSA | Up to $40,000 saved with a deduction going in and no tax coming out |
| Home Buyers' Plan | Borrow up to $60,000 from your RRSP tax-free, repaid over 15 years |
| GST/HST new housing rebates | Part or all of the GST/HST back on a new or substantially renovated home, including the newer first-time buyer GST rebate (conditions and price limits apply) |
Buying or building new in Ontario? The HST rebates can be worth tens of thousands of dollars; check yours at OntarioHSTRebates.ca. Selling a home later is usually tax-free; see Canadian real estate tax.
Forgot to Claim It?
Add it to the return for the year you bought with Change my return, for up to ten years. Keep the statement of adjustments from your lawyer as proof.
Home Buyers' Amount Questions
How much is the first-time home buyers' tax credit?
The home buyers' amount is $10,000, which reduces federal tax by $1,400 for 2026.
Who is a first-time home buyer for the tax credit?
Someone who did not live in a home owned by them or their spouse or common-law partner in the year of purchase or the four previous years. People eligible for the disability tax credit can qualify without being first-time buyers.
Can both spouses claim the home buyers' amount?
They can split it, but the combined claim cannot exceed $10,000.
Can I claim the home buyers' amount if I build my own home?
Yes. A home you build and intend to live in as your principal residence can qualify.
Sources: CRA, Line 31270 Home buyers' amount; Home Buyers' Plan. Credit value calculated by us at 14%. New-home GST/HST rebate rules changed in 2025; see OntarioHSTRebates.ca for Ontario details. Checked October 2026.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026 against CRA and Government of Canada sources. How we check our facts.